Agriculture appliquée
Topic outline
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Introduction
Agriculture is an essential activity for the survival and development of human societies. Over time, agricultural techniques and knowledge have progressed steadily, increasing yields and productivity. Applied agriculture refers to all the sciences, technologies and techniques put into practice in the agricultural sector with the aim of optimizing production.
Applied agriculture involves many disciplines such as agronomy, zootechnics, phytopathology, entomology, mechanics, genetics, biotechnology, etc.
The aim is to find practical solutions to the problems faced by farmers in the field. These may include, for example, the selection of more productive seeds, the development of new fertilizers or new cultivation processes, the fight against plant diseases and pests, or the improvement of agricultural equipment.
Scientific knowledge in applied agriculture is then transferred to professionals through research, training and development. Applied agriculture is therefore aimed at putting science and technology at the service of sustainable and profitable agricultural production. Its contributions to optimizing yields are essential to feeding an ever-increasing global population.-
Forum
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The syllabus for the "Agriculture appliquée I" (Applied Agriculture I) course covers an introduction to agriculture's definition, economic & social importance, and evolution. It explores agricultural production systems like conventional, organic, sustainable farming methods and factors influencing system choices. Topics include agronomy - soil study, classification, fertilization, irrigation, water management; crop management practices like selection, soil preparation, weed control, harvesting, crop rotation; plant protection through disease/pest identification, biological controls, pesticide use, integrated pest management.
It also covers livestock farming - different species, animal care, feeding, reproduction, health, farm systems management; agricultural economics & management - economic analysis, financial planning, investments, product commercialization; sustainable & conservation agriculture principles, soil/water conservation, natural resource use. Advanced agricultural technologies like precision farming, remote sensing, drones, and information technology applications in farm management are introduced.
The syllabus provides references from books on applied ecology, field research methods, biotechnology impacts, statistical methods, insecticides & environment, and seed biology.
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1.1 Definition of agriculture and its economic and social importance
The word "agriculture" comes directly from the Latin "agricultura", which combines "agri/agri" (campus, as opposed to the city) and "cultura" (culture). The root "agri/agri" comes from the Greek "agros", which itself comes from an Indo-European root "agr", referring to a cultivated space. On the basis of this Greek root, many scholarly terms have been built over the centuries in the domain of agriculture. (agromanie, agrologie, agrobiologie, agrochimie, etc). The etymology of the word "agriculture" is therefore quite transparent and simply refers to the idea of cultivating the land, the field.
Agriculture encompasses all activities aimed at producing plants and animals
To meet the food, clothing and care needs of the population. Livestock farming is an integral part of agriculture in many production systems where plant crops and animal production are linked. Nearly 40% of the world's emerging land is dedicated to agriculture, representing 5 billion hectares. Fig.1For a long time, agriculture has been at the heart of the development of human societies, profoundly shaping their activities and lifestyles. An agricultural system is the result of interactions between physical environment and a given social group. Depending on the environmental and socio-cultural contexts, there is a wide variety of forms of agriculture: irrigated/rainy, productivist/sustainable, agricultural/commercial, technical/living, etc.
Agriculture is a cross-cutting geographical subject, inseparable from other themes such as water management, climate change, and population growth. It is also linked to the geography of health and food as well as to the economic study of agricultural chains.
Figure 1. Map of food spaces in the world.
The main socio-cultural roles of agriculture:
Social role: agriculture structures the rural space and the way of life of many communities Cultural and heritage role: landscapes and agricultural traditions are an integral part of the identity of entire regions
Demographic role: successful agriculture has historically contributed to demographic growth Social cohesion: agricultural development promotes local solidarity and knowledge transmission
Urbanization: Rural exodus linked to mechanization of agriculture has promoted a strong rural exodus Migrations: Agriculture generates seasonal or permanent migratory flows
Gender: the generated distribution of agricultural labour changes with mechanization in particular
Health: agriculture provides a diet that determines the health of populations
The main economic roles of agriculture:
Creation of wealth and jobs in rural areas Generation of agricultural exports Integration of certain farmers into agro-industry Supply of raw materials to the agro-food industries Contribution to the GDP of many countries Infrastructure (roads, silos...) and services in rural zones Workforce reserve available for other economic sectors
Figure 2. Conceptual frameworks for the life cycle analysis and ecosystem services of an agricultural system.
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2 Agricultural production systems
2.1 Types of agricultural production systems
2.1.1 Production system
A production system of a farm is defined by the combination (nature and proportions) of its productive activities and its means of production (terre, capital, travail). The study of production systems therefore includes the study of productive subsystems (breeding, cultivation and processing) which are characterized by the nature of the products, the technical routes followed and the yields of these productions. The evolution of production systems can be characterized by several main parameters: diversification/specialization (more or less diversity of production), intensification/extension (in labour, capital or input per unit of surface).
An agricultural production system, or agro-system, is a particular case of a production system applied to agriculture. Beyond the general characteristics of production systems in terms of activities, means and production subsystems, the agro-system presents specific features related to its anchorage in the primary sector. It is thus defined by the whole of the farms of a given territory and brings together many actors up and down producers (seedlings, veterinarians, carriers, traders...). His study allows to analyze thoroughly the technical and economic orientations of the farms, their productivity and their insertion in the agro-food chains. The parameters of the evolution of production systems (diversification, intensification...) apply fully to the diachronic analysis of agro-systems.
Thus, the general concepts of production systems enlighten the understanding of agricultural production systems, which constitute a sectoral declination with issues and actors specific to the agricultural world.
A production system is also characterized by some key indicators:
• Indicators of means:
• Surface (in hectares): size of farms
• Capital: investments in equipment, buildings, etc.
• Labour force: number of workers mobilized The productivity of these factors is measured by unit of capital, labour or surface.
• Activity indicators:
• Intensification/Extensification: ratio of used inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, feedingstuffs) to final production
• Specialization/diversification: number of combined productions within the same holding
• Certification types: Organic farming (AB), Protected Designations of Origin (AOP), Red Label, etc.
• Environmental performance: nitrogen, phosphorus management, water consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, biodiversity indicators, etc.
• Performance indicators:
• Technical efficiency: ratio of outputs (finished products) to inputs of a production process
• Labour productivity: cultivated area or final output per Annual Labour Unit (AU), which is the equivalent of the working time of a full-time person over a year
These indicators are used to characterize the evolution of agricultural production systems over time. There is thus a trend towards improving technical performance, adapting to the expansion of farms and increasing labour productivity.
Figure 3. A comprehensive agricultural system. -
2.1.2 Conventional agriculture
Conventional agriculture is an agricultural production system based on an increase in agricultural output optimized in relation to the availability of agricultural factors.
Production (human resources, materials and cultivated surfaces). This relationship between product volume and production factor is called productivity.
Intensive agriculture exists in two opposing systems, the traditional one and the modern one. In a traditional system, the human resources are large, the animal force is often employed, the biodiversity is high and several complementary species are sometimes grown together, but the material resources (and often the land availability) are scarce. Environmental impacts are small. In the modern system, the situation is the opposite: human resources are largely replaced by machines or robots, intensification requires significant investments and increased use of inputs (fertilizers, plant protection products, agricultural equipment, energy). This is the second system that is usually referred to as 'intensive agriculture'. The environmental impacts are greater there.
Table 1. characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of conventional farming.
FeaturesAdvantagesDisadvantagesAdvanced mechanization:
Characteristics
AdvantagesDisadvantagesAdvanced mechanization
Intensive use of chemical inputs -
High-yielding selected seeds -
Farm specialization -
Simplification of crop rotations
Farm expansion
While this productivist model has indeed enabled a strong growth in yields and production since 1950, its negative impacts have led to its questioning: soil erosion and loss of fertility, widespread water pollution, damage to biodiversity, increased dependence on companies providing chemical inputs, economic vulnerability, etc. Hence the search for alternative production systems, including sustainable agriculture.
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